Slip-sinker



19, 1939. w, 1 M s R 2,183,818

SLIP -SINKER Filed Feb. 20, 1939 izly. 5

I29. 4. m/na'm Patented Dec. 19, 1939 PATENT OFFICE SLIP-SINKER William D. Minser, Everett, Wash assignor of one-half to Earl B. Schwenk, Seattle, Wash.

Application February 20, 1939, Serial No. 257,363

8 Claims.

This invention relates to weights for use in fishing operations and more especially to that class or character of weight commonly referred to as a slip-sinker, which is to say a sinker releasably held in a selected position on a fish- 'line and slipped in relation thereto as the line is drawn taut under tension following a strike.

In order to clarify the objective ends of the present invention, it may be here stated that there has been previously devised a slip-sinker, illustrated and described in U. S. Patent No. 2,111,958 of date March 22, 1938, which provides a body of lead having helically-wound wire sleeves at each end forming aligned guide-ways through which the line is reeved, these guides being associated with a forwardly disposed spring clamp in which the line is caught to yieldingly fix the line in relation to the lead body. There are several very major objections to this device, the principal objection being that the line-guid ing helical sleeves are necessarily projected outwardly beyond the slip-stream limits of the lead body, thus causing the sleeves to pick up seaweed, kelp and other suspended matter present in the water and thereby destroying the lureefiectiveness of the spoon or plug carried behind the sinker. A further objection to this sinker is the annoyance and frequent fouling caused by the necessity, when applying the, sinker, of following the convolutions of'the wire in order to pass the line through the interstices between the same into the guide-way.

The present invention aims to provide a slipsinker of advanced and simplified design and one in which the foregoing and other objections to previous devices of a like or similar nature are overcome, and consists in the novel construction, adaptation and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view taken in side eelvation with parts in section to illustrate a slip-sinker embodying the preferred teachings of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof taken substantially on the longitudinal median line of the sinker.

Fig. 3 is a top plan View.

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 6 denotes a suitably shaped body of lead, preferably stream-lined in the manner shown to simulate,

generally, the hull of a clipper plane, and cast with a channel I which tislocated, desirably, on the longitudinal median line of the weight and extends from the underside thereof into close This 5 proximity of the weights upper edge. channel, at its basal or closed end, is sectionally enlarged in the provision of a reeve-way l for the fish-line and the lower limits of this reeveway are defined by cross-arms 8 and 9 trajected embedding the same in one of the flanking cheeks of the body and the other end closely overlies the end wall of the opposite cheek, these crossarms being of spring wire to permit the free ends 1 thereof to be sprung outwardly for carrying the fish-line over the same in passing the fish-line from the channel into the reeve-way. As indicated in Figs. 2 and 5, a slight concavity, as at across the channel at each end of the body. One 10 end of each of the cross-arms is anchored by l0 and I I, is or maybe provided in the twoend I20 of which the convolutions I2 and I2" are in juxtaposition and disposed in off-set relation be- 5 low the reeve-way in the substantial plane of the channel. It is desirable, for reinforcing the lead body, that the embedded portions of the wire be bent to follow generally the lower-edge contour of the weight.

The manner in which the line is applied between the convolutions of the clamp l2 to yieldingly fix the sinker in selected position on the line, an operation in which the cross-arm 8 serves as a fulcrum for the line, is believed to be clear from the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawing, particularly Figs. 1 and 3 thereof in which the line is indicated as being caught. showing of the disengaged line with the sinker free to slip thereon. It is of course obvious that modifications might be resorted to and it is therefore my intention that no limitations be Fig. 2-is similarly clear in its 45 implied from the foregoing specific description 50 of the illustrated embodiment, that no restrictions beread into the hereto annexed claims excepting where the same are necessarily introduced to distinguish from prior knowledge in the art, and that such claims be given an interpretation commensurate with the degree to which the art is advanced.

What I claim is: I

1. A slip-sinker comprising a body member having a through-channel extending upwardly therein to have the upper closed end of the channel operate as a reeve-way for a fish-line, and a line-engaging clamp of close, helically-wound spring wire carried by the body member in offset relation to an axial prolongation of the reeve-way, said clamp being adapted to hold the line against the force of a relatively weak pull and operating to release the line under the influence of a predetermined stronger pull applied thereto.

2. A slip-sinker comprising a body member formed with a through-channel extending upwardly therein to have the upper closed end of the channel lie above the weight center of the body and operate as a reeve-way for a fish-line, and a line-engaging clamp carried by the body member in ofi-set relation to an axial prolongation of the reeve-way operative to resist a relatively weak pull on the line and releasable from the latter by the force of a predetermined stronger pull applied thereto.

3. A slip-sinker comprising a body member formed with a channel projected the entire length of the body, a cross-arm trajected across said channel at each end of the body and operating with the closed wall of the channel to define a reeve-way for a fish-line, one end of each of said arms being anchored to the body with the opposite ends being proximate to but spaced from the end walls of the body to permit the line to be carried over said free ends in the passage of the line to or from the reeve-way through the open throat of the channel, and a line-engaging clamp carried by the body operating to resist a relatively weak pull on the line and releasable from the latter by the force of a predetermined stronger puLll applied thereto.

4. A slip-sinker comprising a body member formed with a channel projected the entire length of the body and extending in an upward direction therein to have the closed wall of the channel lie above the weight center of the body and operate as a reeve-Way for a fish-line, a cross-arm trajected across said channel at one end of the body for blocking the free passage of the line to or from the reeve-Way through the open throat of the channel said arm having one of its ends anchored to the body at one side of the channel and its other end spaced from the end wall of the body at the opposite side of the channel to accommodate passage of the line to or from the reeve-way through the opening between said free end and the end wall of the body, and a line-engaging clamp carried by the body in off-set relation to an axial prolongation of the reeve-way, said clamp acting to resist a relatively weak pull on the line and being releasable from the latter by the force of a predetermined stronger pull applied thereto.

5. A slip-sinker comprising a body member formed with a channel projected the entire length of the body and extending in an upward direction from the underside thereof into close proximity of the upper limits of the body, the upper end of said channel being sectionally enlarged to form a reeve-way for a fish-line, a cross-arm at each end of the body member trajected across the channel to define the lower limits of the reeve-Way, each of said cross-arms being of spring wire having one end anchored to the body member and the opposite end closely overlying the end wall of the latter to permit said free ends to be sprung outwardly from the end wall for carrying the line about the same in the passage of the line to or from the reeve-way through the open throat of the channel, and a clamp'of close, helically-wound spring wire carried by the body at one end thereof and in off-set relation below an axial prolongation of the reeVe-way to permit of the yieldable fixing of the fish-line between the convolutions thereof.

6. The slip-sinker defined in claim 6 wherein the cross-arms and the clamp are all of one continuous piece of wire of which the portion thereof leading from one to the opposite end of the body is embedded in a channel-flanking cheek of the latter and for reinforcing the cheek conforms generally to the lower-wall contour of the same.

'7. A slip-sinker comprising a body member channeled longitudinally to provide a reeve-way for a fish-line at the inner limits of the channel, means associated with the channel and functioning to circumvent direct passage of the line to and from the reeve-way through the open throat of the channel while permitting the line to be manipulated through said open throat into and from the reeve-way, and a line-engaging clamp carried by the body member operating to resist a relatively weak pull on the line and releasable from the latter by the force of a predetermined stronger pull applied thereto.

8. A fishing sinker comprising a body member channeled longitudinally to provide a reeve-way for a fish-line at the inner limits of the channel, and means associated with the channel and functioning to circumvent direct passage of the line to and from the reeve-way through the open throat of the channel while permitting the line to be manipulated through said open throat into and from the reeve-way.

WILLIAM D. MINSER. 

